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The rear radar is undoubtedly one of the most significant developments of the past decade in the field of electronic equipment for road bikes. Initially viewed as an accessory reserved for the most tech-savvy cyclists, it has gradually established itself as a genuine riding aid, capable of improving awareness of the surroundings without taking your eyes off the road. With the TR 70, Coospo is entering a market dominated by Garmin and now driven by several Chinese competitors that are particularly aggressive on pricing. Compatible with ANT+ Radar and Bluetooth, and equipped with a built-in taillight, the TR 70 follows the now well-established formula for multifunction rearview radar. It remains to be seen whether this alternative to the major brands—sold on AliExpress and Amazon—is sophisticated enough to win over the most demanding riders.
By Guillaume Judas – Photos: ©3bikes.fr
For several years, talking about rear-facing radar almost automatically meant mentioning the Garmin Varia. When it first appeared, the idea seemed appealing but was still relatively niche. Many cyclists felt that a quick glance over their shoulder was enough to monitor traffic.
Experience has shown, however, that the two approaches are complementary. Of course, the radar can never replace a visual check before changing direction. On the other hand, it constantly provides information about what’s happening behind the cyclist, even when they’re focused on their ride, on a fast descent, or in heavy traffic. This constant assistance is gradually changing the way people ride. After several weeks of use, many users admit they have a hard time going back to a bike without radar. This phenomenon likely explains why Garmin is no longer the only player in this segment today.
Magene, Bryton, iGPSPORT, Trek, and Coospo now offer products based on the same principle. All use the ANT+ Radar protocol, which has become a de facto industry standard, ensuring excellent compatibility with Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead, Bryton, iGPSPORT, and Coros bike computers, as well as the latest Sigma GPS units.
Competition, therefore, no longer really revolves around whether or not a device has a radar function. It now centers on the quality of the detection algorithms, the speed of data processing, connection stability, the quality of the taillight, battery life, and, of course, price. It is precisely on this last point that Coospo intends to set itself apart.
For several years now, the Chinese manufacturer has been methodically building a comprehensive ecosystem designed for the connected cyclist. After cadence, speed, and heart rate sensors came GPS bike computers, followed by indoor trainers and various electronic accessories. The TR 70 represents a logical step in this move upmarket.
A design that’s unpretentious yet well-thought-out
First impressions are quite reassuring. The TR 70 doesn’t set out to reinvent the rear radar design. Its vertical housing features a now-classic layout: the upper section houses the light’s LEDs, while the radar is integrated behind the rear panel.
The unit remains compact and light enough (65 g for the radar, 30 g for the mount) that you’ll quickly forget it’s there once it’s installed on the seatpost or under the saddle. The plastics used are high-quality, the fit is clean, and there are no creaks when handling the device. With a build quality on par with a Garmin Varia, it feels genuinely sturdy. Additionally, its IPX7 rating allows for use in heavy rain or on wet roads. This is no small detail for a device meant to remain permanently exposed at the rear of the bike, even though, during a heat wave, I wasn’t able to test the radar under the kind of harsh conditions the equipment might face in winter.
The mounting system consists of a bracket combined with a rather well-designed elastic strap. This solution has the advantage of easily adapting to most seatposts, including aerodynamic models. Furthermore, in use, it tends to rotate less on the seatpost than the Garmin mounting system. Charging is done via a USB-C connector, which is now standard. The move away from micro-USB simplifies everyday use, since most GPS bikes, phones, and lights now use the same cable.
How does a rear radar actually work?
Contrary to popular belief, a rear bike radar doesn’t simply detect a presence behind the cyclist. Its operation is more sophisticated. The system continuously emits radio waves that are reflected by vehicles behind it. By analyzing the frequency shift between the transmitted and received waves (the well-known Doppler effect), the onboard electronics can determine that an object is approaching, estimate its relative speed, and track its movement until it passes by.
There are two key benefits. First, the radar ignores most stationary objects in the landscape. A sign, a guardrail, or a row of trees will therefore not trigger an alert. Second, the system can simultaneously track multiple vehicles approaching one after another. The GPS speedometer then displays their progress on a sidebar, allowing the driver to anticipate a multiple passing maneuver.
The advertised range of 140 meters places the TR 70 in line with current market standards. In practice, this distance naturally depends on numerous factors: vehicle speed, road width, terrain, and weather conditions.
The TR 70 does more than just incorporate a detection radar. Coospo has also added a smart brake light feature. Thanks to its built-in accelerometer, the light automatically increases in intensity during hard braking to better signal deceleration to vehicles behind the cyclist. It also features an automatic flashing mode when a vehicle is detected by the radar, a function designed to further enhance visibility when being passed.
Compatibility: Now an Essential Feature
The value of a radar largely depends on its integration with the GPS bike computer. In this regard, the TR 70 takes full advantage of the standardization of the ANT+ Radar protocol. During this test, pairing with a Wahoo Elemnt Roam V2 bike computer took only a few seconds. Once connected, its performance meets current standards. A colored bar appears on the side of the screen. Each detected vehicle is displayed individually, with its position updated in real time until it passes by.
Audio alerts effectively complement the visual cues but can become intrusive. Personally, I preferred to turn this option off on the bike computer, though I’d already done so with a Garmin radar. However, this combination of alerts works particularly well when riding for long periods in a group or on roads with relatively light traffic.
Bluetooth also expands the range of uses with certain mobile apps, even though a GPS bike computer remains the most suitable device for fully utilizing the information provided by the radar. The advantage here is being able to adjust the lighting mode directly through the Coospo app, which also affects the device’s battery life. The TR70 offers seven distinct lighting modes, which, according to the manufacturer, provide 14 to 40 hours of battery life.
Our Test Over Several Weeks
I used the TR70 for several weeks on various types of routes: quiet country roads, busier thoroughfares, urban rides, rides at dusk, and group rides. The first key finding concerns the quality of detection. On open roads, the radar detects cars early enough to allow you to calmly anticipate a vehicle’s approach. In most situations, alerts appear well in advance of the vehicle passing. Motorcycles and heavy trucks are detected just as effectively. Vehicle tracking remains smooth. Their movement on the screen accurately matches what is observed in reality, and alerts disappear immediately once the vehicle has passed.
On open roads, the radar detects cars early enough to allow you to calmly anticipate the arrival of a vehicle. In most situations, alerts appear well in advance of the vehicle passing.
The number of false alerts remains low. However, it happens fairly often that if a vehicle follows for several hundred meters without passing, it no longer appears on the radar. This is something I had never noticed with a Garmin Varia. In addition, I’ve also noticed a few occasional notifications triggered by certain vehicles traveling on parallel lanes or in complex road configurations. This is nothing unusual: all radar systems currently available on the market exhibit this type of behavior in certain situations.
In the city, the system naturally reaches its limits. Intersections, traffic jams, parked vehicles, and changes in direction all increase the number of events to analyze. The radar continues to fulfill its role, but the information becomes less decisive than on open roads, where passing vehicles are easier to spot. The taillight, on the other hand, performs its function perfectly. Its visibility is excellent, both day and night, and the various modes available make it easy to strike a balance between battery life and brightness.
But the biggest strength is battery life. In this regard, the Coospo TR70 stands head and shoulders above the rest. In mixed use, you can string together several long rides before needing to recharge. I was able to log 17 hours of training (compared to the advertised 14 hours) in Maximum Brightness mode without having to recharge. For typical recreational cycling, a weekly recharge seems more than sufficient. Be careful, though: before it stops working, no warning message appears on the display. It’s simply ON/OFF.
Compared to the Garmin Varia, where does the Coospo really stand?
The question is inevitable. The latest-generation Garmin Varia still has a slight edge in several areas, particularly in handling complex situations where multiple vehicles are moving simultaneously along different paths. But I own a 2021 model myself, and I don’t notice any difference in pure detection quality. And above all, the Coospo offers significantly longer battery life, which is by no means its least impressive feature.
The Coospo TR 70 confirms that the rear radar market has reached maturity. Without revolutionizing the concept, it incorporates the elements that have made this product category a success and executes them with precision. Detection is reliable, alerts are consistent, and compatibility is excellent. And the price is extremely competitive, at around €75, whereas a Varia RTL 515 with equivalent features costs closer to €200. For those looking to equip themselves with a high-performance rear radar without investing in the most expensive model on the market, the Coospo TR 70 is now one of the most credible alternatives.
The COOSPO TR70 at a glance…Pros: price, battery life, features, apparent build quality Dimensions: 96 × 39 × 23 mm – Weight: 65 g – Battery life: up to 40 hours – Charging time: 2 hours – Charging port: USB Type-C – Detection range: 5 to 140 meters – Relative speed detection: 6 to 128 km/h – Range and field of view: 1.6 km and 220° – Connectivity: Bluetooth and ANT+ – Price: €118 (up to €75 depending on the website or promotion) – Contact: coospo.com |
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